Around the world, Earth Month is celebrated throughout April, culminating with Earth Day on April 22. The theme for Earth Day 2025 is “Our Power, Our Planet,” encouraging all to take action through education, advocacy and mobilization. For PPG and the PPG Foundation, the power of action comes to life year-round through our commitment to invest $5 million by 2030 in environmental sustainability education.
Celebrating Earth Month: PPG, PPG Foundation Take Action with Sustainability Education
“The solutions to today’s global environmental challenges are in the hands of the next generation of big thinkers and innovators,” said Malesia Dunn, PPG executive director, PPG Foundation and corporate social responsibility. “We’re proud to team up with educators and organizations that educate young people around the world about climate issues, environmental stewardship, and prepare them for future STEM careers”
In celebration of Earth Month, read on to learn more about recent initiatives supported by our commitment to environmental sustainability education.
PPG volunteers join National Energy Education Development workshop
In Greensboro, North Carolina; Huntsville, Alabama; and Little Rock, Arkansas, USA, the PPG Foundation teamed up with the National Energy Education Development (NEED) organization to deliver teacher workshops that assisted educators in building content knowledge and capabilities for teaching energy topics in the classroom. Four additional workshops in PPG communities will take place later this year.
A process engineer at PPG’s Little Rock facility participated in a recent workshop to help connect the curriculum to industry.
“I enjoyed the chance to speak with teachers that can help mold the future generations coming up to start their professional careers,” said the employee volunteer. “Through the workshop, I hope that they learned about new energy innovations and take that back to their students and to help them become interested in a STEM career path.”
Keep America Beautiful clean up events
Through the COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® program, PPG employees from our Huntsville, Alabama plant are teaming up with Keep America Beautiful to participate in a community clean up event at Calvary Hill Community Center and community garden. Tasks include cleaning up litter and tending to garden beds. This is the first of five beautification projects we’ll complete around the U.S. with Keep America Beautiful in 2025.
PPG and C3 launch ‘Green paint factory’ digital lesson
PPG teamed up with Centrum JongerenCommunicatie Chemie (C3), a Dutch education nonprofit which introduces children and young people to chemistry and life sciences, to launch the “Green paint factory” lesson. This initiative allows students ages 14 and 15 to design a factory and make choices that affect sustainability and cost.
In designing their factories, the students make decisions and compromises, revealing the cost and sustainability consequences of their choices. Read more here.
New education materials available through Foundation for Environmental Education
Through PPG’s partnership with the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), a leader in promoting environmental education and sustainable development in schools worldwide, new educational materials are being created and rollout out, with the latest an Eco Schools for Early Years handbook, now available in five languages, and an FEE Academy introductory course. Additional materials will also include a Climate Risk Management and School Safety handbook, seven new instructional videos and materials for teachers, among other tools that will be available in multiple languages, including English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese and French, to ensure broad accessibility.
Teaching sustainable building practices with Shamengo
PPG partnered with the Shamengo association and the STI2D (Science and Technology Industry of Sustainable Development) class at Jean Racine High School in Montdidier, France, to promote sustainable building practices. Through a PPG grant, students with their teachers assessed a school building for eco-renovation, focusing on moisture, thermal bridges and air quality. They created an educational framework on energy efficiency and renewable resources, visited PPG’s Moreuil site and received video training to produce two reports. Their findings were presented at a special event attended by local officials and PPG representatives.
Exploring biodiversity and water stewardship with Land Trust of North Alabama
The PPG Foundation and the Land Trust of North Alabama partnered with three high schools to promote environmental education and stewardship. One student group designed a bird and insect sanctuary with native plants in their school’s courtyard. Soon, they’ll visit a nature preserve to learn foraging, bird banding and invasive species management. At another school, students investigated threats to a native snail species, sparking interest in protecting Alabama’s waterways. They also learned to test water quality through hands-on fieldwork.
Learn more about investments made by PPG and the PPG Foundation.